Another day, another announcement from Marvel that, far from creating goodwill towards persons, has instead flopped. In this case it’s Marvel: Create Your Own, a new service launched in partnership with TapTap Comics. People who sign up for announcements on the yet to be launched service will use 3D figures and supplied graphic elements (backgrounds etc) to create their own comics. It’s a system that’s been in use for other webcomics portals before, but this time the long list of no-nos in the 23 page TOS bans everything from “alternative lifestyles” to farts and killer bees.

While some of this is boilerplate stuff, unsurprisingly its furthered the appearance that Marvel is anti-gay, and also anti-gossip.

Oddly enough for a service that bans midriff bearing outfits, the first spokesperson is pantsless Gwenpool, now sporting a suggestive crotch seam. Possibly even more shocking than Killer Bees.

Who is this “TapTap Comics” that is running the platform? I‘m told it’s an Australian company and not related to the Actually, it is related to the Chinese company that offers mobiles games and apps and the like. It should be noted that in general Chinese media guidelines are just as repressive as these TapTap ones, so which side it originated with is open to question.

At any rate, there’s nothing that Marvel can do that doesn’t come off as awkward at best and sinister at worst these days.

Heidi MacDonald is the founder and editor in chief of The Beat. In the past, she worked for Disney, DC Comics, Fox and Publishers Weekly. She can be heard regularly on the More To Come Podcast. She likes coffee, cats and noble struggle.

The Comics Code lives again, only more restrictive. At least characters could smoke tobacco and take prescription drugs in the ’60s and ’70s. And the hippie era wouldn’t have been the same without bare midriffs.

As the above poster says, this must be aimed at very young children and their parents.